Harry Potter and the Fountain of Magical Brethren
by jilleah black
Summary: 6th year... With a new year for Harry at Hogwarts come excitement, mystery, and maybe even romance. And how is Voldemort learning the secrets of the order? Read to find out!
1. The Moment of Truth

Harry Potter and the Fountain of Magical Brethren

Chapter 1: The Moment of Truth

            The Dursleys were sitting around the dinner table, enjoying a nice steak dinner, for this was their last night to spoil their son, Dudley, before he left with his Junior Heavyweight Inter-School Boxing Team for a competition in London.  He was only to be gone a week, which was not nearly long enough for his cousin, Harry Potter.  To Harry, the only amount of time that would be satisfactory would be an eternity.  For harry could not be more different from his obese and bullying cousin, nor from his shrill Aunt Petunia or gruff Uncle Vernon.

            Indeed, the Dursleys despised Harry so much that they had not even remembered that tomorrow would be his 16th birthday, although by this point, Harry was not at all surprised.  The only aspect of his birthday to which he was looking forward was the fact that he would soon be hearing from all his friends in the wizarding world, and these friends were all that kept him going throughout the bleak summer.  He had been receiving regular owls from Remus Lupin, checking that Harry was being treated well by his horrible Muggle relatives.  He had also heard from his best friends, Ron and Hermione; though they could not give him much information in these owls, they tried to keep him as informed as possible about the goings on in the Order of the Phoenix.  Harry could also tell that they were trying to avoid the subject of his recently deceased godfather, Sirius Black.

            Though their letters were full of encouraging words that Harry realized pertained to his feelings about Sirius, they did not mention the incident directly, for Harry was still grieving for his godfather.  He was often plagued by nightmares where a startled-looking Sirius drifted beyond a mysterious tattered veil, just out of reach.  Upon waking up from the dreams in the middle of the night, he would feel consumed by his sadness, although the idea of confiding in his aunt and uncle was laughable.  The nighttime was the only time that he would allow himself to shed tears over his loss.  Sirius had been the closest thing Harry had ever had to a parent, and it sickened him that he had had such little time out of Azkaban, and that there were so many ways that his death could have been prevented.  However, to avoid the torment of his cousin, Harry did not allow himself to think too much about Sirius during the days, instead devoting his time to reading up on methods of dueling, attacking his grueling mountain of homework, and studying his Occlumency as if his life depended upon it.  As Harry knew firsthand, someone's life could indeed depend upon it.  After Dumbledore had revealed to Harry earlier in the summer that he must be the one to defeat Voldemort, he had begun to study some spells that he thought might be helpful, though he regretted not being able to practice them due to the Restriction of Underage Wizardry.

            When Harry was finished eating, he retired straight away to his cramped bedroom.  The Dursleys were certainly fine with this; not only was Harry's presence truly unwelcome at their table, but they had pretty much left Harry alone all summer due to some threats they had received from members of the Order when picking harry up from the train the previous term.

            After several hours spent reading, Harry glanced up at his clock, and saw that it was after midnight.  Not that being siteen would be any different from being fifteen, but he expected to hear from his friends soon.  Sure enough, as he went to open his window for some fresh air, he saw some owls flying in the distance.  As they drew closer, he began to recognize a few of them.  Eventually, Hedwig, his snowy owl, was the first owl to glide gradefully through the window, followed by Ron's owl, Pigwidgeon, who hovered precariously over Hewig's water dish before dropping his package with a splash.  An unfamiliar barred owl landed next to Hedwig, and then an owl Harry recognized as a barn owl belonging to the school.  Grinning, Harry reached for Ron's present, removing the soggy packaging.  He read the letter first:

                        Harry-

            Happy Birthday, mate!  I picked this up at Quality Quidditch Supplies one day when we were visiting Fred and George at the joke shop.  It's going really well!  They send along their birthday wishes and these samples of their newest product.  They're Babbling Tablets, and when you put them in someone's drink they can't stop talking for the next hour!  As you know, Hermione's here and we think you'll be able to come join us soon.

                        Ron

            Harry unrolled a large poster of the Chudley Cannons, Ron's favorite Quidditch team.  He hung it up behind his door so that his relatives would not be disturbed by the picture, consisting of orange blurs zooming around the Quidditch field.  Only in the magical world did the figures in pictures actually move.  He net opened the package that Hedwig carried, recognizing the handwriting to be that of Hermione Granger.

                        Dear Harry,

            I hope you're having a lovely birthday, and that you find this book interesting.  I read it through several times, and I think that you will get a lot of use out of it.  Things are going well here, though I'm ever so worried about our scores on our OWLs!  Every time I see an owl, I can barely breathe!  Ron probably told you- we think you might be able to come to the Burrow soon.  My whole family is staying there because our house is being renovated.  Anyway, hope to see you soon!  Good luck on the OWLs!

                        Hermione

            As Harry unwrapped the packaging, he read the title of the book Hermione had given him: Ten Steps to Achieving the Career of Your Dreams.  Harry snorted and put it in his trunk, making a mental note to at least skim through it later, for he knew that Hermione might test him on its contents.  He turned to the unfamiliar owl and saw that the handwriting on the letter belonged to Remus Lupin.  He opened it hastily.

                        Dear Harry,

            Happy Birthday!  We at the Order have been looking through our old keepsakes and thought that you might want to have these.  We will be coming for you on August 4th, so have your trunk packed.  See you soon.

                        Remus Lupin

            Intrigued, Harry opened the parcel and found some documents and tow blxes.  His heart leapt as he realized that the documents were hish parents' marriage license and his own birth certificate.  Upon opening the boxes, he was stunned to see two gleaming wands, which he had assumed had been destroyed along with his parents.  Though he did not know if these would be of any use to him, any reminder of his parents' lives made Harry feel more that they were real people instead of merely thoughts that often occupied his mind.  At long last he reached for the letter bearing the Hogwarts crest.  His heart racing, he opened what he knew to be his OWL results, accompanying the usual letter telling him what supplies to get for next year.  He was very nervous to see these, for they would decide whether he would become an Auror, his dream career.  

                        Mr. Potter,

            Enclosed are the results of your Ordinary Wizarding Levels.  There is also a list of the classes you are eligible to take.  Please send an owl back as soon as possible, indicating which of the courses you will be taking.  Enjoy the remainder of your holidays.

                        Griselda Marchbanks, Head of the Wizarding Examinations Authority

Transfiguration: Exceeds Expectations

Charms: Exceeds Expectations

Care of Magical Creatures: Outstanding

Astronomy: Poor

Defense Against the Dark Arts: Outstanding

Divination: Dreadful

Herbology: Acceptable

Potions: Exceeds Expectations

History of Magic: Dreadful

            Total: 6/9

NEWT Classes Recommmended:

NEWT Transfiguration

NEWTCharms  
Advanced Care of Magical Creatures

NEWT Defense Against the Dark Arts

            Harry felt disappointment was over him as he realized that his Potions score was not enough to secure him a spot in the NEWT class.  Now he would not be able to become an Auror.  It angered him that Snape set such high standards when he had truly studied as hard as he could.  With a sigh, he went nearly identical letters to everyone who had sent him gifts, thanking them for their thoughtfulness.  He then went to sleep hoping against hope that it would be a dreamless night. 


	2. Departures and Arrivals

Harry Potter and the Fountain of Magical Brethren

Chapter 2: Departures and Arrivals

            The next morning, Harry awoke groggily to a tapping sound at his window.  He lethargically rolled out of bed and stumbled over to the window.  As soon as he opened it, a gray mass of tousled feathers threw itself through the window and onto Harry's bed.  He chuckled to himself, realizing that although Errol, the Weasleys' owl, had probably been sent to him at the same time as Pigwidgeon, it had taken the ancient bird over six hours longer.  The parcel tied to Errol's foot looked to be Mrs. Weasley's usual package of delectable cakes and mincemeat pies.

            Mrs. Weasley was the kindest, most nurturing woman Harry had ever met.  Her caring nature contrasted sharply with Aunt Petuina's cold manner and Harry felt that she was the closest person to a mother that he had.  He also felt honored that last year, she had said that Harry was as good as her son.  Harry wished that he really could be a part of the Weasley family, for he counted the time he spent with them as his favorite in the wizarding world.

            After writing to thank Mrs. Weasley, Harry sampled one of the cakes and then made his way downstairs for breakfast.  There was no greeting from any of his relatives as he sat down and helped himself to some toast with marmalade.  Eventually, Uncle Vernon acknowledged his presence by telling him to carry Dudley's duffel bag outside.  

            "Move faster," Dudley demanded, his chins bouncing as he waddled down the stairs.

            "If you're in such a rush, why don't you give me a hand," Harry retorted.

            "I'm not helping _you_ with anything, you freak," said Dudley.  

            "I wouldn't say stuff like that if I were you," Harry said angrily, "unless you want a bunch of fully-trained wizards after you."

            "What are you gonna do, call your stupid godfather?"

            The glare Dudley received from Harry was more piercing than a knife.  "Never say that again," Harry spoke quietly, his emerald eyes never leaving Dudley's small blue ones.  He continued to glare at Dudley for a moment, then sped up to his room, leaving the bag abandoned near the door.  After taking a moment to collect himself, his anger and sadness turned to the need to get Dudley back for what he had said.  He opened up his trunk and reached for the Babbling Tablets he had hidden underneath his robes.  He went back downstairs, and saw Dudley's water bottle sitting on the kitchen table.  Shooting furtive glances at the door, he unscrewed the lid and dropped in one of the tablets.  Then, hearing Dudley to ask his father if he was sure it was impossible for him to bring _two_ of his television sets, he dropped in another one.  Harry inwardly smiled as he imagined the suffering that Dudley's boxing friends would endure while riding in a car while Dudley chattered aimlessly about everything from the weather to the price of his mother's hair-dye.

            The next few days passed quickly as Harry hastily finished his homework and packed his trunk in preparation for his impending journey to the Burrow.  He could not wait to see his friends again, and tell them all about the success of the Babbling Tablets; Fred and George would be amused to hear that the driver of the boxing bus had called the Dursleys to complain about Dudley's incessant talking.  On the morning of August 4th, Harry awoke early and sat waiting in his room all day, realizing that Lupin had specified neither time nor method for picking him up.  He hoped that the Weasleys had warned him against using Floo powder, though, for the carpet in the living room had never been the same.  He was relieved to hear the doorbell ring around noon.  Knowing that they would be greeted by wizards when they opened the door, the Dursleys ignored the ringing and retreated to the farthest corner of the living room.  Harry ran downstairs to answer the door, and grinned when he saw the faces of Lupin, Tonks, and Mad-Eye Moody staring bavck at him (well, at least one of Moody's eyes was; the other was looking through the ceiling, Harry realized, for he commented that at least this time Harry had already packed his trunk).  Lupin, Harry noticed, was paler and thinner than ever before.  His voice sounded raspy as he spoke.

            "Are you all ready to go, Harry?"

            "Yes, professor, my stuff's all packed."

            "Harry, I have not been your professor for three years, therefore please call me Remus.  Even when I was your teacher, I never felt quite comfortable with that title, especially since I caused more trouble at Hogwarts than most of the current students."  Lupin stared wistfully into space for a moment, and then shook his head as if coming out of a trance.

            "I'll go upstairs and help Harry bring down his trunk.  Remus, why don't you go and tell his aunt and uncle that we're taking him?" Tonks said cheerfully, as she stumbled up the stairs to Harry's bedroom.  As Tonks levitated Harry's trunk and Hedwig's cage down the stairs, he could hear Remus talking politely to the Dursleys, but heard only grunts from Uncle Vernon in response.

            "Alright then, Harry, we're just going to go over and use Mrs. Figg's fireplace to get to the Burrow."  They walked out into the bright sunshine, Harry's invisibility cloak covering his belongings.  It was a lovely summer day, and the houses were all looking their finest, as the drought had come to an end.  The neighbors across the street were washing their car, and a group of schoolchildren was riding their bikes down the sidewalk.  Each house had its own unique blend of flowers in the front lawn, but were otherwise annoyingly identical.  As Harry looked at the houses, he longed even more for the Burrow, which was as different from these as could be, with its tottering appearance and chickens running amok around the front yard.  After a few moments, they reached Mrs. Figg's house and entered without even knocking.

            "Oh hello, I was wondering when you'd get here.  Here have a cup of tea before you go," she said, pouring some into some old-looking china.  She then fed a biscuit to the cat that was sitting on her lap.  After some nice tea and idle chatter, it was time to depart.  Mad-Eye stepped first into the fire, after first cooling it with a handful of Floo powder.  As he stood in the green flames, he clearly yelled, "The Burrow!"  A moment later, Harry was surprised to see Moody's head return to their side of the fire.  When he told them it was all clear, Harry proceeded into the fire next.  When he arrived in the Weasleys' living room, he was greeted only by Moody, who told Harry to let Tonks and Lupin know that he had arrived.  With his head in the fire, he told them he was safe, and they immediately disapparated with his school things, and appeared next to him a second later.  With that, they proceeded into the kitchen and were welcomed by all the Weasleys exept Percy, and various other members of the Order.  Harry was happy that he was finally home with his true family.


	3. Unwelcome Guests

Harry Potter and the Fountain of Magical Brethren

Chapter 3: Unwelcome Guests

            As soon as Harry entered the kitchen, he felt himself being hugged tightly by Hermione and Mrs. Weasley.  Ron then patted him on the back and Fred, George, Bill and Charlie shook his hands vivaciously.

            "How are you doing, Harry?" asked Mr. Weasley, who had bags under his eyes, Harry assumed, from not only hours at the Ministry but also a great deal of work for the Order.

            "Alright, thanks," replied Harry automatically, though they could all tell that it wasn't quite true.  After a few seconds of silence, Hermione spoke up, and Harry began to wonder if she had taken a Babbling Tablet herself.

            "Oh Harry have you gotten your OWLs yet?  Mine just came yesterday, and I'm ever so pleased.  I got Outstanding on everything except Astronomy; I was really upset at first but I sent an owl to Professor McGonagall asking her if it would harm my chances of having a proper career and she assured me that it wasn't my fault.  Ron and I have barely talked about anything else since I got here this morning.  It's so exciting, isn't it!?"

            At this, Ron rolled his eyes behind Hermione's back, and Harry was sure that she had been quite truthful about the fact that they had talked of nothing else.

            "I got all Outstanding, actually," Harry said with a smirk.  "I was quite surprised."

            "WHAT???  But I studied so hard and you barely- I mean, that's wonderful, Harry…" she spluttered.

            "Only joking, Hermione.  Actually, I got 6- Dreadful in History of Magic and Divination, of course."

            Ron high fived him, and upon showing Harry his scores, Harry saw that they had almost identical results, the only difference being that while Ron had eeked by with an Acceptable in History of Magic, he had been unable to escape a Poor in Potions.  Ron did not seem too upset about this, though; on the contrary, he seemed rather relieved that he would not have to stand another year of classes in Snape's repulsive dungeons.

            Suddenly, Harry heard some creaking footsteps on the stairs, and was startled for a second until he saw Ginny bouncing into the kitchen.

            "Hey, Harry!" she exclaimed upon seeing him.

            Harry was happy to see no sign of the meek, blushing Ginny that he had known on previous visits to the Burrow. He greeted her cheerfully, and was glad that he could now count her among his close friends.

            Harry brought his school things upstairs to Ron's room, and then chatted amiably with Ron, Fred, George, Hermione and Ginny until Mrs. Weasley called up to them that dinner was ready.  The dinner was a chaotic affair, as it included the Weasley clan (excluding Percy), Harry, Hermione, Lupin, Tonks, Moody, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Sturgis Podmore.  Upon seeing Podmore, Harry hushedly inquired to Remus, who was seated on his left, when Podmore had been released from Azkaban.

            "A few weeks ago, Dumbledore convinced Fudge that Sturgis was innocent and on our side, and Fudge finally pardoned him," Remus whispered back.

Harry noticed that Podmore was sitting at his own little corner of the table.  He looked distant, and Harry did not blame him.  He shivered at the thought of spending even a moment with the dememtors, let alone the months that Sturgis Podmore had endured. 

            "So how's the joke shop going?" Harry asked the twins, who sat across the table, stuffing their mouths, with turkey and whispering animatedly to each other, glancing at a bowl of mashed potatoes on the table.  Harry made a mental note not to lay a finger on the potatoes, for fear that the twins were using them to test a new product.

            "It's going really well," said George, grinning.

            "Yeah, just this morning we got the idea for this potion that makes you blast out whatever song's stuck in your head," Fred added with another quick glance at the mashed potatoes.

            After helping himself to everything on the table but the mashed potatoes, and complimenting Mrs. Weasley on her cooking, Harry leaned back and fixed his attention on the conversation that was occurring on his right.  Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Bill, and Charlie were talking about the situation with Percy.  Harry angrily remembered the previous summer when Percy had denounced his own family in favor of the Ministry.

            "I think we should at least let him know about the Order and give him the option of joining," Mrs. Weasley was saying.

            "Maybe in time," said Mr. Weasley uncomfortably, "but we've only just really started talking to him again.  We still don't know who he's reporting back to."

            "Yeah, it's not like the Ministry is working against us anymore, but it would be terrible if they found out about the Order- especially since we know there are spies in the Ministry," Charlie voiced.

            "True," Mr. Weasley spoke again, "admitting that You-Know-Who is back was a step, but ever since then they've barely done anything."

            "Plus, honestly, I want as little to do with that git as possible," said Bill angrily.

            Harry knew better than to ask them what exactly was going on in the heat of this conversation, but he decided that he would ask Ron about these things later.

            Suddenly, Ron burst out singing the Hogwarts school song to a slow, bluesy ballad.  Everyone at the table laughed confusedly, and Harry saw Fred and George wink at him from across the table.  Half of the people now got up and scraped their mashed potatoes into the sink on the other side of the room.

            Moody, who was looking up through the ceiling with his magical eye, grunted, "I see you've got yourself a ghoul in the attic."

            "Oh yes, it's been there for ages," replied Mrs. Wseasley.  "There's just no way to get rid of it."

            "Hey, so what's the difference between a ghoul and a ghost anyway?" Ginny inquired.  "I've been meaning to ask Nearly Neadless Nick, but I always forget."

            "Well, be glad you didn't mention it to him, because ghosts don't like to be associated with ghouls.  Ghouls have a much more violent personality- that's the main difference, Ginny.  Usually long ago they were responsible for grave robberies."

            "Generally only the more cowardly ones become ghosts anyway," spoke up Sturgis quietly for the first time since Harry had seen him.  "My great-uncle Patrick Delaney-Podmore was beheaded by accident during a practice duel.  He cakme back and now he's always showing off, but I know he regrets having chosen to stay here on earth."

In the moment of silence following Sturgis's pronouncement, Harry thought about how he had hoped last year that Sirius might become a ghost.  He realized now that it was probably for the best that he hadn't, although Harry would have give anything to talk to Sirius once more.  He was driven out of his reverie by a loud crash in the adjacent room followed by a crack.  Everybody was startled and all those in the Order jumped to their feet, wands clutched tightly in their hands.  

"Children, stay right where you are," Mrs. Weasley said frantically.  "We have to go find out what that was."

As those in the Order (including Fred and George, which slightly surprised Harry) filed stealthily into the living room, Harry Ron, Hermione, and Ginny pressed their ears to the door.  They heard Tonks say quietly, "Whoever it was must have apparated.  This is serious."  The four in the kitchen exchanged meaningful glances.  Someone had been in the house.  
  


	4. The Scoop

Harry Potter and the Fountain of Magical Brethren

Chapter 4: The Scoop

            In the shock of the intrusion, dinner was abandoned, and Mrs. Weasley was reluctant to let any of the children out of her sight- even if it just meant trips to the bathroom.

            "Alastor, why didn't you mention that you saw someone!?" she asked in a frazzled tone.

            "Must have been upstairs- I was keeping my eye on the back door until I heard the crash," said Moody.

            Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny decided to retire early, telling Mrs. Weasley that they were "exhausted from the stress of the evening."  As soon as they were out of earshot, they agreed to meet in Harry and Ron's bedroom as soon as they were changed for bed.  As the four assembled in the cramped room, a random thought struck Harry.

            "Hermione, I thought you said your parents were staying here, too," he said.

            "Oh, they arrived when I did, but then they had to go right away and visit my aunt.  She lives a few hours away and hasn't been feeling great lately.  They'll be back here sometime tomorrow morning.  They they're staying until our house is done, about a week before we go back to school."

            With that, they began discussing various theories on the intruder.  Everyone's initial thought was, of course, that it had been a Death Eater, as there seemed to be no other logical possibilities.

            "I bet it was Lucious Malfoy," said Ron grimly.  "Nah, I beg he'd be too high and mighty to come into the house of great Muggle-lovers like us."

            "Come on, Ron.  We know he hasn't gotten out of Azkaban yet," Hermione said rationally, "and I don't think it matters who it was- the important thing is figuring out how Voldemort knows about the Order and that we'd all be here."

            The pondering that took place after this was interrupted when Fred and George entered the room, looking uncharacteristically troubled.  They had searched the house upside down but there had been no sign of the mysterious invader.

            "Hey, so it looks like you guys are in the Order now, huh?" asked Harry enviously.

            "Yeah," said Fred, "it took a lot of convincing for Mum to vote us in, but since we're of age, there wasn't too much she could do."

            "We haven't had too much to do yet- they only give us the little jobs, like research and keeping an eye out for funny incidents in Diagon Alley.

            "Oh yeah, I can't wait to visit your shop.  I bet it's loads better than Zonkos."

            "That it is, Harry, that it is…"

            Hoping he wasn't bring up too touchy a subject, Harry asked quietly, "So I heard your parents and Bill and Charlie talking about Percy.  What's going on with him?"

            The Weasleys exchanged glances and Ginny spoke up.  "Well, he's back on speaking terms with Mum and Dad, but the rest of us aren't too keen on forgiving him that easily.  I, for one, still think he's a complete prat."

            "Yeah," Ron agreed, "I don't see how he thinks he can just come back one day without even apologizing and expect to be welcomed back with open arms."

            "Mum's thrilled," said George darkly, "and Dad's happy too, although we're sure he doesn't trust Percy completely.  And I don't blame him.  The rest of us have all agreed that he'll never be a part of our family again."

            Harry felt somewhat guilty, for he knew that his friendship with the Weasley family was a part of the cause of the rift.  However, he shoved that thought to the back of his mine, and brought up something else that he had been contemplating.

            "So what's Fudge been doing these days?  I've been reading the Daily Prophet, but all that's in there is people writing in claiming that their new next-door neighbors are Death Eaters, or that Voldemort is their schoolteacher.  I've actually been quite amused by it, but it doesn't really help me when I need to find out information."

            "Well," Ron began, "it's completely ridiculous.  Right after school ended, he sent out these pamphlets to all the wizarding families.  They're so stupid- they are supposed to tell what to do if You-Kn," Ron stopped and stammered bravely, "I mean, V-Voldemort shows up at your house.  I mean, for one thing, how are you supposed to have time to call the Ministry if you have Death Eaters throwing curses at you.  For another, any idiot could reflect the Jelly-Legs Jinx.  So that's all Fudge's done so far, and there are rumors that right now he's taking a vacation in Majorca!"

            Ginny stifled a yawn, which caused the rest to follow suit.  "Shouldn't you two be doing something for the Order, anyway?" Hermione asked Fred and George.

            "Well, actually, we were given the great task of coming up here and making sure you guys went straight to bed without talking… I guess we blew that one," said Fred.

            They all laughed at the irony of the situation before deciding that they probably really should go to bed.  As Harry lay there in the dark, he drifted slowly off to sleep, dreaming of Percy performing the Jelly-Legs Jinx on Minister Fudge while Lucius Malfoy sat and watched idly, eating Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.

            The next morning, Harry awoke to the sound of many voices downstairs.  He looked around, and saw that Ron was still asleep.  Quietly, he got dressed, and proceeded downstairs for breakfast.  He saw Ginny and Hermione sitting at the table with Hermione's parents, whom he had only briefly met once before.

            "Harry, you remember my parents, Phil and Linda Granger, right?" said Hermione, who was always up at the crack of dawn studying.  Harry greeted the Grangers, who both had pleasant faces and perfect teeth.

            "How have you been, dear?" asked Hermione's mother with a smile.

            "Fine, thanks, how about you?" Harry responded.

            "Oh, pretty well.  The renovations on the house certainly are tiring, but it was so kind of Molly to offer to let us stay here for a while."

            From the other side of the room where she was making breakfast, Mrs. Weasley gave a smile and said, "Think nothing of it, Linda.  Hermione talks about you two all the time, and it certainly will be lovely to get to know you better.  Of course, in this house, it's always the more the merrier."  Harry enjoyed this credo, especially compared to the Dursleys, to whom even four people was too many to have in their home, when Harry was the fourth.  "I do have to warn you, though," Mrs. Weasley continued, "when my husband gets home, there will be a lot of interrogation about various appliances in your home.  But you can feel free to ignore him."

            Harry smiled at Mr. Weasley's fondness for Muggle objects; he had been asked to explain television countless times.  He wondered, though, how much the Grangers knew about the wizarding world.  He was also curious how much Hermione had told them about the various dangerous escapades that they had accumulated over the years.  He decided to ask Hermione later.

            They heard a muffled yelling upstairs, and the atmosphere of the room changed immediately.  For the second time in only twenty-four hours, Mrs. Weasley grabbed her wand, and reluctantly motioned for Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny to do the same and follow her.  The Grangers followed apprehensively as they followed the sound up the creaky stairs.  They reached a closed closet door and Mrs. Weasley, pale and shaky, laid her hand upon the doorknob.


	5. Number 93 Diagon Alley

Harry Potter and the Fountain of Magical Brethren  
  
Chapter 5: Number 93, Diagon Alley  
  
They waited, braced for anything, as Mrs. Weasley opened the closet door. They were shocked as out walked.  
  
"I'll kill them!" said Charlie, wiping sweat off his brow. "They gave me Peacock Peanuts- I swear they looked just like the real thing. Then they shoved me in the closet so when I turned back I was locked in."  
  
Fred and George had mysteriously disappeared that morning, but Mrs. Weasley was too relieved to be really mad at them.  
  
The next few days passed quickly. Harry, Ron, Ginny, and various other Weasleys played Quidditch in the yard while Hermione poured over her schoolbooks. Harry and Ron even caught her reading The Key to Passing Your NEWTs; they slowly backed out of the room to avoid getting a lecture on the fact that they should be studying too- two years were not long at all when they concerned your future.   
  
Then on a Wednesday a week before school began, the group took a trip to Diagon Alley. When they first arrived out of the hearth of the Leaky Cauldron, the sun was shining brightly, but as the day wore on and they shopped for their books and their mandatory school supplies it became more and more overcast. When at last they were done with their shopping at Flourish and Blotts, Madam Malkin's, and the Apothecary, dark clouds had gathered overhead. It was just as they were heading over to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes that they spotted their schoolmates, Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan. Remembering that Ginny had mentioned going out with Dean Thomas, Harry looked over at her, silently inquiring as to whether she and Dean wanted to be alone. He was surprised to see a look of discomfort on her freckled face. She was looking into the nearest shop window, pretending she had not seen him, and her face was a bright red.  
  
"Er-hello Ron, Harry, Hermione," said Dean, choosing to ignore Ginny. "Got all your shopping done?"  
  
"Nearly," answered Ron, "we were just about to stop by Fred and George's place to see if we can find some things to make Filch's life miserable."  
  
"D'you want to come along with us?" Harry asked, wondering what was going on between Dean and Ginny.  
  
"No thanks," said Dean loudly. "I'm meeting up with Parvati in a little while." Then, turning to Ginny, he continued, "She's so pretty and wonderful. Wow, I wish I were kissing her right now. But we're just friends." The pair then turned and walked away, with Ginny glaring at the back of Dean's head.  
  
"What was that all about?" Ron asked his sister.   
  
"Oh, I guess I forgot to tell you. When I went round Dean's house earlier this summer we broke up. It was just the day before Harry arrived and I guess I forgot with all that's going on."  
  
"Yeah, well it's no big loss anyways," said Hermione cheerfully. "Let's go over to Fred and George's now, shall we?"  
  
As the group drew nearer to the entrance, they saw that there was quite a large crowd of people in the store. They saw Lee Jordan's head through the crowd and he waved them in.   
  
"Hey Weasleys! Harry, Hermione. Welcome to the store! Fred and George are in the back if you want to see them." At that point their conversation was interrupted when the hair of the customer behind them caught on fire.   
  
"If you're going to sample the merchandise, you have to pay for it, you know," said Lee, putting it out with his wand.  
  
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny all stifled grins and went towards the back of the store. Fred and George were chatting in the storeroom with a girl who looked about their age. She had light brown hair, hazel eyes, and a cheerful smile.   
  
"Hey, customers! Come to see what you made possible, Harry?" said Fred.  
  
"Wow!" said Harry, "It's really amazing in here! When did you come up with all this stuff?"  
  
"Ah, young Harry. We've been thinking about this for quite some time. The business world is not always an easy place, you know," George joked. "By the way, this our new assistant Grace. We just hired her- it's getting really busy now that school is about to start."  
  
The four decided to explore the shop for a while; it really was impressive. It was divided into sections. There was one sign indicating "Dangerous" merchandise. Among the other sections were, "Transformatory Foods," "Get Out of Class," and "Dungbombs and Other Things That Will Make You Cry." Harry felt as though he had barely even gotten around the whole store when he heard Grace's voice announce closing time to all the customers remaining in the store. He went up to the cash register with a large basketful of "gifts" for Malfoy and many Skiving Snackboxes.   
  
"That will be 4 Galleons and 3 Knuts," Fred told him.  
  
Harry reached for his money, but was interrupted by a snort from Fred.   
  
"You think we'd actually make you pay when you gave us all that gold?"  
  
"Oh- wow- thanks!" Harry said.  
  
"Excuse me," George called to Ron, who had started to walk out of the store, "have you paid for those Dungbombs?"  
  
"Are you kidding me? I'm your brother!"  
  
"Fine- but don't tell Bill. We made him pay full price!"  
  
When they walked outside, they were hit with a blast of wind and rain. They scurried off to their meeting place, the Leaky Cauldron.   
  
Once inside, they sat down at a table and ordered some hot cocoa while they waited for Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.   
  
"That was certainly an interesting store. I hope you don't plan to use any of those Dungbombs, Ron," Hermione said, sipping her cocoa.  
  
"What do you think I bought them for- decoration?"  
  
"But Ron-you're a prefect!" Hermione sounded shocked.  
  
"That's not my fault, blame Dumbledore for that!" Harry and Ginny grinned at each other.  
  
Later at the Burrow, Harry walked past Ginny's room to hear Hermione and Ginny talking quietly. Since he was waiting for Bill to get out of the shower, he felt he had no choice but to remain standing there.  
  
"Wasn't Dean acting like such a prat in Diagon Alley today?" asked Ginny.  
  
"Yeah! That comment about Parvati was so obnoxious," Hermione replied.  
  
" I mean honestly! Harry was standing right there. Dean was immature about that whole thing anyway. He kept saying that all I talk about is Harry, which is completely untrue; maybe I mentioned him once or twice, but that's not the same thing." Just then, the door opened and Bill exited the bathroom, his long hair dripping. Harry walked into the shower, trying to figure out the conversation he had overheard. So Dean had broken up with Ginny because of him? He felt terrible even though he hadn't done anything. He realized that he could hardly recognize the shy, clumsy ten-year old he had met on his first day at Hogwarts. 


End file.
